"Mr. Lu." Inuyama Ga and Ryūma Genichirō rose together and bowed slightly when they saw Lu Mingfei.
Kaguya-hime, now back to normal, had already informed the two family heads of what had happened inside the Genji Heavy Industries building, including the current patriarch's order to regard Lu Mingfei as a commander second only to himself.
Uesugi Erii was with Lu Mingfei. He had come to find Uesugi Yue. Aside from Gen Chisei, who needed to stay behind to clean up the Sheqi Eight Clans' mess, he intended to keep every hybrid who might become the White King's vessel under surveillance before investigating the God-Burial Site on the seabed.
"Mr. Uesugi Yue, please come with me now. The two family heads should have explained the details on my behalf." Lu Mingfei got straight to the point.
Wrapped in a blanket, Uesugi Yue looked rather aged. His hair was still wet from lying unconscious in the heavy rain. He raised his head and studied Lu Mingfei with a complicated expression. "So you're the one who really calls the shots. Angers's promise to let me leave Japan was so much hot air... Then let me ask one last time. Wouldn't letting me go to France be safer than keeping me in Japan?"
"Europe isn't necessarily safer than Japan," Lu Mingfei said.
Everyone who heard him turned to look at him, except Uesugi Erii, who was somewhat distracted.
Europe was the Secret Party's home base. Before the era of Cassell College, its central institution, the Council of Elders, had been based there. Now that Lu Mingfei was saying Europe might not be safe, did that mean the trust between him and the Secret Party was wavering, and that the intelligence this enigmatic legend possessed might exceed everyone's imagination?
"All right." Uesugi Yue sighed. "A